


Found Family and New Friends

by TailorNorata



Series: Smells Like Home [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Stiles Stilinski, BDSM Undertones, Bad Alpha Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Blow Jobs, Broken Friendship, Dom Peter Hale, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, IDK what else to tell you, Knotting, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Pack Feels, Peter Hale is a Softie, Rimming, Stilinski Pack, Sub Stiles Stilinski, also some smut, tell me if i missed something, while Peter is shifted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:20:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27671948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TailorNorata/pseuds/TailorNorata
Summary: He felt good as an alpha.It felt right, it felt like something he was good at, something actually positive and constructive.It also sometimes felt good, in a terrible way, to be petty, just that little bit.To show Scott that Stiles was someone he should have listened to.That Stiles knew what he was doing, that Stiles was good at it, that he had put the work in.But Stiles knew those petty thoughts weren’t really healthy, as good and satisfying as they might sometimes feel.He shouldn’t do things because they proved his worth to others. He had done that for way too long already.He was trying to do things because they were good for him.And his pack was exactly that.Something that was good for him.Something he created himself.
Relationships: Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Allison Argent/Lydia Martin, Chris Argent/Melissa McCall, Cora Hale & Peter Hale, Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski, Melissa McCall & Stiles Stilinski, Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Sheriff Stilinski & Stiles Stilinski, Vernon Boyd & Cora Hale & Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes, mention of - Relationship
Series: Smells Like Home [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/712236
Comments: 56
Kudos: 353





	Found Family and New Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This is not the last part, despite what I've said in the past.  
> I hope it'll be finished with a part 5 but I won't do the same mistake twice and confidently state that that will be the case.  
> Anyway, enjoy this part and fingers crossed it won't take me as long to write the next one, but no promises.

It was around noon, poppy music was playing in the Stilinski household and it was filled with more life than it had been in quite a while.

When Stiles had announced that he would bring more people over for dinner John had felt a little overwhelmed by that.

They’d had a conversation on what exactly Stiles wanted to do and why and John had admitted that he felt like he needed to mentally prepare for meeting what Stiles called his ‘pack’.

So dinner had been turned into brunch and postponed to the next day.

John had taken the evening to himself to try and imagine what that next day might bring for him, which turned out to be a surprisingly normal brunch.

No fangs, no bloodshed or extremely weird behavior, no raw slabs of meat being consumed.

Not even the sometimes annoying posturing he had witnessed in some of the few werewolf gatherings he had attended before.

  
  


He cleared his throat and addressed the young man sitting across from him.

"Son, hand me that pretend-bacon, will you?"

Stiles rolled his eyes from the kitchen counter, while Boyd handed the Sheriff the turkey bacon strips.

"I am not going to apologize for trying to keep you alive dad. Erica, keep an eye on how many strips he takes."

She grinned up from the table to where Stiles was preparing the next pancake.

"Sure thing batman."

Stiles grinned back and pointed at her with the spatula "That's my girl."

The sheriff meanwhile frowned a little, as he placed two strips on his plate, next to the rest of his healthy-ish meal. 

"Usurping me in my own damn house…"

Peter chuckled and handed Stiles some more veggie filling but didn't comment.

The sheriff raised his eyebrows at the man but showed a hesitant smile, as he watched Stiles squeeze Peter's nape for a moment and say "Thanks, babe."

They seemed happy, Stiles seemed happy, happier than in a very long time.

And it wasn't even like John hated Peter.

The guy was perfect for Stiles, which of course meant he was quite the asshole sometimes, anybody who wasn't would bore Stiles sooner or later.

But Peter was also a criminal, he actually had been one before the Hale fire. 

At least John was pretty sure he had been.

There had never been anything that could have stuck of course, the guy had always been more slippery than a piece of soap dropped in a bathtub, but that was only protecting him from the law, not from his potential father-in-law.

And as an individual person, not as the sheriff, John was pretty certain Peter Hale had always operated in disregard of the law. Human law at the very least…

He also knew Stiles had quite a bit of criminal energy himself, which did not make things easier.

He had always hoped Stiles would meet someone that settled him down instead of someone that enabled him further.

He supposed that had been wishful thinking.

And he wasn't mad at Stiles or Peter, he saw why they had chosen each other.

It was just the fact that it forced him to make some quite difficult decisions.

The simpler times of just following and reinforcing Law and Order were now truly over he supposed.

Though, in fairness, even before werewolves, magic and all that mumbo jumbo, doing his job often had required him to do more than just follow and reinforce laws.

He wasn’t going to blindly follow everything some rather fallible men had made up centuries ago.

Still, this took things to another level. Obviously.

Now there was magic and werewolves, banshees and people who hunted monsters, but were often the bad guys.

More often than not, it seemed.

And his son wasn’t just involved in all of that.

His son himself was magical.

Literally magical.

It was still sometimes hard to wrap his head around that.

And now his son was in a relationship with a resurrected werewolf and leading a ‘pack’.

But he owed it to Stiles to not close his eyes again.

He was still trying to make up for not trusting his son in the past, for thinking Scott was the more reliable person.

By now he had been reminded time and time again how fiercely loyal and endlessly, stubbornly caring Stiles was.

So for Stiles he'd get used to the new reality he lived in, werewolves, banshees, Peter and all.

He also had to admit he enjoyed having a full house.

The pack was lovely. They clearly respected and appreciated Stiles a lot, deservedly so.

For a long time most John had seen in Stiles' personality was his mother. The stubbornness, the intelligence and cunning, the disregard for rules, the eyes...those eyes...looking at them had broken his heart sometimes.

Claudia had been a free spirit, impossible to tame or to tie down.

Not that he had ever tried, but others had. 

Settling had not been an option for her before she had gotten pregnant. And even then she had taken Stiles around the states in her jeep for weeks at a time.

He had loved that about her, loved giving her that freedom.

It had always been a bittersweet thought of John that Stiles would likely be the same, he most definitely had the potential for it in him.

But this, this was something John recognized as something he was familiar with in himself. 

Stiles was building a family, becoming a leader, he blossomed with the responsibility, with the purpose.

John had found his calling as a sheriff, it felt good to serve his community through it.

Stiles apparently had found something similar as an alpha.

A new song started playing and he watched as Erica squealed and stood up to show Peter some funny looking dance move she had apparently told him about before, while Stiles had a wide grin on his face and Boyd turned the music up a little before standing up and joining in.

John snatched another piece of turkey bacon while nobody was looking.

It tasted alright, he supposed.

  
  


~*~

  
  


They had defined their territory, taking a third of Beacon Hills and a third of the preserve.

It was more than fair. 

The territory was originally Hale.

Scott's pack had two Hales, in theory.

Cora was somewhere in South America. 

But she could be counted as part of Scott’s pack, if one was generous.

And generosity was a good way to keep blood from spilling.

Stiles had one Hale.

So they took one third of the territory. 

The Nemeton was situated on the border, making sure both packs were responsible for the troubles it caused.

Stiles had ideas for the tree though, hoping with some autonomy regarding it he might be able to help it heal in some way.

It'd be a long-term project though.

  
  


As planned they had marked their territory by covering it with the mixture of Stiles' and Peter's scent.

Stiles had found a spell to make it last until both of them died or he consciously broke it.

Animals weren't all that bothered by it, it seemed. 

Maybe a few dogs seemed to recognize him and Peter by scent now.

As discussed they had sent Boyd to inform Scott about the borders they had drawn.

They had given Scott the choice to either accept the borders as they were, or they could also come together and talk it through Alpha to Alpha.

According to Boyd, Deaton had been there and had advised Scott very adamantly to take the deal.

Peter had chuckled when Boyd had told them.

"That asshole knows his idiot Alpha would never stand a chance debating Stiles into an even more beneficial deal. Not when Stiles is not inclined to show any more good will."

Stiles had nodded grimly. 

"And I’m really not. A third is a modest claim to make. It's already very lenient to assume Cora is still part of his pack. I could easily and rightfully ask for half, I could win that case and Deaton knows that."

But Scott had agreed, begrudgingly it appeared, to accept their proposal.

Through Isaac, Erica had heard Scott had not been happy about them marking their territory with their scents either, but Allison had called it an “inventive move" and Isaac at least hadn't argued. 

Stiles was slightly surprised that Isaac was the one to fraternize, considering how close he and Scott were.

But maybe he had overestimated their connection.

  
  


~*~

  
  


Stiles’ yoga date with Melissa went surprisingly smooth.

It was awkward at first, as was to be expected, after such a turn of events, but she clearly was making an effort for normalcy and Stiles deeply appreciated it.

He couldn’t fully shake the anxiety of Scott possibly crashing their session, but he didn’t.

Melissa must have really driven the point home that she’d be very upset with her son if he’d do that.

  
  


After they were done with their exercises she invited Stiles to stay for some tea and he agreed, he wanted her to see that he wasn’t acting irrationally, that he wasn’t being manipulated somehow and that she was right in giving him the benefit of the doubt.

They chatted about different things for a while, work and their shared interest in supernatural medicine. He asked after Chris and was glad to hear that their relationship was still going strong, even though Chris was spending a lot of time abroad, appealing to other groups of hunters to adopt a more nuanced stance on supernatural beings.

Then there was a pause in their conversation and she worried her lower lip for a moment before asking about Stiles’ love life.

Stiles was sure Scott had told her something involving Peter.

And considering her own history with Peter Stiles felt very aware of how sensitive this topic might be.

“I...I understand this might sound concerning to you, but I’m actually in a relationship... with Peter.”

She nodded knowingly.

“I assumed that much. And I’m not going to tell you that that’s bad. Peter has actively worked on himself, I can acknowledge that.

The few times he and I talked with each other since that...date...he apologized and made amends.”

Stiles raised his brows, he actually hadn’t known that.

Peter didn’t apologize for things unless he truly meant it.

“That’s good…” he said lamely, not sure how to respond.

She smiled at him.

“I am glad though that you saved me so gallantly back then.”

Stiles chuckled.

“I’m sure today I’d find a more refined solution than bumping into the car you two were sitting in.”

She chuckled as well “Let’s just hope that won’t be necessary again.”

He nodded with a smile “Yes, let’s.”

She reached over the table and took his hand in a very motherly gesture.

Stiles swallowed, trying not to think of his mom.

He had worked through a lot of the grief in all those years since she had gotten sick and eventually died, but sometimes small moments like this brought the feelings up again.

And he knew that might happen less and less, but it’d never really go away.

Old wounds like that always ached a little.

“I do want you to be careful though, to make sure you are really alright. I know how subtly relationships can start to go bad. And before you know it, you are crying half the time, because your heart is broken but it isn’t free of the person who broke it, and you are suffering, but you feel like there is nowhere else to go and…” she closed her eyes for a moment.

“Just...don’t make my mistake, staying with a man who mistreats you.”

Oh…

Stiles blushed and remembered the bruises he had on his inner thighs and collarbones, from where Peter had bitten him - with human teeth - last night.

Melissa probably had seen them while they had been doing yoga.

“I...thank you, Melissa. But if you’ve seen something...th...the bruises...I…”

He had no trouble being open about his kinky interests with most people, but Melissa...she was Scott’s mom, she was basically the closest thing Stiles had to a mother.

“Peter is not doing anything I haven’t asked him to do…”

Melissa blushed a little herself.

“I suspected that might be the case, but I had to make sure.”

Stiles got that.

“I appreciate you looking out for me. But really, Peter isn’t hurting me, not without my consent. And I know he wouldn’t. He took some pain from me without asking, once. And after I told him I didn’t want him to do that, he hasn’t done it again without asking explicit permission. You know...I don’t know if you’ve been told, but I am his Alpha, because he recognized me as such. Peter devoted himself to following my leadership.”

Melissa sucked in a breath and nodded slowly.

Stiles wanted to make sure she understood.

“He’d never intentionally do anything that I don’t want him to do. But as my Beta he also actually doesn’t have the power to do that, unless he wants to become an Omega.”

Which in Stiles’ opinion meant he was the one who had to be more careful as to not abuse their power dynamic.

Melissa though looked even more concerned.

“I know this will sound incredibly cynical, but what if he wants to kill you to become an Alpha again himself?”

Stiles saw where she was coming from with that thought though and gave her a reassuring smile.

“I don’t mind the question, I think it’s fair to ask that, given Peter’s past ambitions. But that’s not really possible I think.

I don’t hold an Alpha Spark that could be passed on.

My Alphahood doesn’t stem from an intrinsic magical power, it stems from others conferring leadership to me. When I die, my magic will just return to the universe, it’s not going to transfer onto somebody. So my alpha status most likely won’t either.

All that being said, Peter also has had many chances by now to kill Scott, me or quite a few other alphas. I think it is safe to say that that’s not his ambition anymore.”

Melissa took a deep breath and nodded, looking a little tired.

“Okay...I hope you are right.”

Stiles nodded as well, knowing this was as good as he could expect right now.

There was another part he needed to make sure she knew though.

“And you didn’t stay with Rafael. You got away from him, that was incredibly strong of you.”

She smiled sadly.

“Not soon enough.”

Stiles now grabbed her hand instead.

“As soon as you were able to. You did good. I know me saying that won’t magically change how you feel, but I want you to know that you did good.”

She shook her head.

“You don’t know the whole story…”

Stiles’ gaze got hard.

“I do though.”

She looked up at him in shock.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“I listened in, the night you called my dad. So, I know. And still, I don’t blame you. You did what you could, you made the right decision, as soon as you were able to. You're not the person that should feel guilty. Rafael should. This truly isn’t on you.”

Melissa looked like she might start to cry, but instead she just snuffled and tried to compose herself.

“Alright...you are probably right...it’s just hard...not feeling like it was my fault.”

“I understand” -and Stiles really did- “which is why I am saying it to you. Sometimes it’s important to hear something like that from someone else.”

She shook her head with a warm smile.

“When did you get so wise…”

He shrugged with a responding smile.

“I don’t know, somewhere between the fighting of literal and metaphorical demons I guess.”

She sighed “Well, I suppose that’ll do it.”

  
  


~*~

  
  


While things were still not really settled, but seemingly slowly getting there, their first full moon as a pack was fast approaching.

Peter had mentioned a few times before how most packs run together on full moons.

Quite a few of them even naked. 

Scott had never been inclined to consider that and his pack had followed his decision.

Although maybe that wasn’t entirely the right way to put it when most of them weren’t really aware of the tradition since things Peter said often weren’t paid much attention.

Because why would anybody listen to the one werewolf that actually grew up, and lived as an adult, in a functioning pack.

Stiles felt like this full moon was a good opportunity to give his betas a say in pack decisions.

So he had asked Erica and Boyd what they thought of the idea to run together that night. 

Both had agreed they wanted to at least try it out, but maybe not naked, at least not the first time around.

  
  


So on the full moon they had driven into their part of the preserve and then hiked a bit further yet to make sure they were far enough off the beaten paths to not be likely to be seen or heard.

Stiles assessed the surroundings with some minor magic, decided it was a good starting point and then pulled out a flask and downed the liquid within.

He felt the magic of the potion spread in his body and grinned with satisfaction.

For the next 18 hours or so he’d be strong and invulnerable enough to physically keep up with his werewolves.

He felt the magic spreading and then settling in his body, making him brim with energy in a way no amount of coffee or energy drink had ever done.

It felt almost like it was supposed to be like this, like it was natural.

He shared a look with Peter, who gave him an encouraging smile and nodded slightly.

Stiles knew to properly start this off he had to howl, and it made him somewhat anxious.

But he also knew none of them expected him to sound like an actual wolf and he’d just try his best.

So he filled his lungs, placed his hands on either side of his mouth to amplify the effect and then howled.

He had practiced it pretty excessively beforehand, watching youtube videos of wolves howling, and people imitating said howls.

He let out a long howl and when first Peter and then Erica and Boyd joined in, his heart started to race excitedly.

He howled a second time, more confident and louder and the others followed suit, their voices echoing through the forest.

Stiles howled a third time before the others had finished their second and this time when they followed he suddenly felt how his eyesight changed.

Everything was tinged red and more visible than before.

Like red light illuminating his surroundings.

He also felt like he could hear small animals moving everywhere, and a few bigger animals fleeing away from the noises they had been making.

He looked at Peter and the man was smiling at him proudly, his own eyes glowing blue.

His other two betas seemed more surprised, but not concerned in any way, their eyes glowing a bright yellow.

Stiles was pretty sure his eyes were glowing red.

He grinned back at them and then took off, knowing they’d follow his lead.

  
  


Everything felt so amazingly free and good.

The ground underneath his feet, the crisp, fresh air, the moonlight breaking through the tree branches again and again.

They were not hunting right now, so there was no reason to be quiet, so instead he yelled his joy into the air and got his pack’s response, not only through their own voices but also through their pack bond.

He ran and ran, jumping over fallen trees, climbing rocks and moving like he had never known any other way.

He didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually he broke onto a clearing and just flopped down on the soft gras and rolled onto his back, panting.

Soon Peter joined him, staying in beta shift, lying down and giving Stiles gentle kisses to the corner of his mouth.

Stiles laughed and pushed Peter onto his back, so his throat was exposed.

There he planted a kiss of his own, fascinated by the fact that he was able to hear his lover’s heartbeat and how it sped up at the touch.

Erica and then Boyd joined them and also plopped down, snuggling up to Stiles. 

They too were exposing their throats to him, as he hugged them one after the other and nuzzled their necks, scent marking them, as Peter had explained to him.

All four of them relaxed into the comfortable intimacy of each other’s company.

Stiles allowed his breathing to consciously slow down, same as his heartbeat.

He felt and saw how the red faded from his eyes and allowed him to see the night sky and the moon the way they usually appeared to him.

They lay like this for a while, Stiles would have been cold if it wasn’t for the three werewolves emanating enough warmth for him to barely feel the chill of the spring night.

It was probably a good thing though, that they had decided not to run naked on their first try.

That would have gotten seriously chilly.

At some point Erica sniveled a little and Stiles would have been concerned, if he hadn’t felt her happiness through the pack bond.

So instead he just pulled her more tightly against his own body and motioned for Boyd and Peter to join them in the closer cuddle session as well.

  
  


After a while she calmed down again and after a deep sigh she leaned her forehead against Stiles’ shoulder.

“I had no idea this is how pack is supposed to feel…” she murmured and Boyd nodded silently in agreement.

Peter sighed deeply as well and continued to look up at the moon.

“I’ve missed feeling like this.”

Stiles smiled warmly.

“As long as it is up to me, I will do all I can for us to keep this. I promise.”

And he would.

Because this right now felt like what he was supposed to do.

  
  


~*~

  
  


Lydia had texted Stiles and asked if he was willing to meet her for coffee.

By the way she had phrased her question he knew this wasn’t a friendly invitation.

Lydia wanted to talk with him about something.

And it wasn’t hard to guess what that something was.

He suggested meeting after he was finished with work for the day, in a coffee shop in his pack’s territory.

She agreed.

  
  


And so Stiles found himself sitting in the little coffee shop, Lydia across from him, face stern but otherwise as hard to read as almost always these days.

She seemed to study him as well.

“Are you looking for changes, brainiac?” he asked, going for a playful tone.

She raised one brow at him.

“I’m cataloguing the changes I can see”

With a perfectly practiced casual flip of her hair she added: “I have for a while now.”

He leaned back with a knowing smile.

“My apologies, I should have assumed that you knew.”

She smiled sweetly but not genuinely.

Most wouldn’t know the difference, Stiles did though.

“Of course I knew. I’ve known for months that something was developing between you and Peter. Admittedly I didn’t predict that you two, Boyd and Erica would go off and create your own little pack, especially this quickly, but I’m not really surprised by it either.”

Stiles sipped on his coffee, trying to figure out if she just wanted to let him know that she could have called him and Peter out anytime but hadn’t, or if there was more to it.

Because with Lydia, similarly to Peter really, there was almost always more to it.

There usually was at least one other angle they were pursuing, if not several.

“Are you upset that we did that? You already stay relatively neutral when it comes to pack matters. No judgement of course. I get why you do it.”

She shook her head a little, and Stiles wasn’t sure of it, but he thought he saw her lose some tension.

“I’m not upset. You are right, I prefer to be neutral. Considering the direction the pack’s internal dynamic has taken I don’t really want to be more involved than I have to be to make sure Allison and my family are safe. 

And I’m glad you said you aren’t judging me for that. 

Because it’s in a way also what I wanted to talk to you about. 

I want you to know that I acknowledge and respect your pack and you as an alpha. I have very little doubts about your capability in that regard. It certainly suits you better than most other people I know.

That being said, I’d prefer to stay neutral with you and your pack as well.

Obviously I would like for us to stay friends, but Allison is with Scott and for better or worse, I am with Allison. So, if something is threatening her or my family, I’m happy to help but otherwise I’m staying out of all of this.”

That was better than Stiles had hoped.

He took another sip from his coffee, staring at the cup, thinking.

He’d known that Lydia wouldn’t join them, not without Allison, but he hadn’t been sure what her position on his pack would be beyond that.

Especially considering the past she and Peter shared.

He didn’t expect her to ever forgive him for haunting her, even if he’d made that plan while crazed out of his mind.

That was an explanation but no excuse.

And Peter genuinely being sorry wasn’t either.

He looked up from his coffee and to his surprise he actually saw some anxiety in her face, at least maybe, she was damn good at hiding her feelings.

A moment later she had schooled her face to be unreadable again.

“You know-” she said, did it sound slightly wrongfooted? “-by now it’s sometimes annoyingly hard to try and read your expressions, Stiles.”

How ironic, they had been trying to read each other again.(lmao)

He gave her a soft and genuine smile, which made the corner of her mouth twitch.

“Right back at ya, Mata Hari. You’ve always been a pretty good actress, but you’ve become extremely hard to crack at this point.”

She snorted and seemed to relax a little again.

Stiles decided to go with honesty.

“If you want to know, this is a better outcome than I expected. I thought your past with Peter might turn you away from accepting the recent developments.”

She gave him a short, grateful smile and then her face turned back to pleasant and unreadable, as she drank her frappuccino.

“Ghosts are frankly fucked up.” she stated and Stiles was a little surprised at her choice of words, which apparently had been visible, because she smirked at his reaction.

“I don’t hate Peter. I don’t even particularly dislike him. I can recognize a changed man when I see one. But I also don’t feel the need to forgive what happened. I prefer Peter in my debt and trying to atone for that. That dynamic is most comfortable for me.”

There, that was the Lydia Martin he loved. 

The Lydia that was ruthless, calculating, incredibly smart and cunning. 

Of course by now he saw that she was a lot more than that, and she wasn’t someone he was still romantically attached to, but a part of him would always love that part of her in some way.

He gave her a warm smile.

“So neutral in pack politics and friends in private. I can live with that.”

She gave him a grim smile and nodded.

On an impulse he offered her his hand to shake.

“I recognize you as a neutral party.”

She furrowed her brows but took his hand.

And with that they finished up the business part of their meeting and moved on to lighter other matters.

“So how are things going with Allison actually? I was happy to see you two together at the meeting, I wish I could have talked to the two of you then.”

Lydia smiled brightly.

“We finally talked things through. It took us pretty long, I know.

But we were both afraid that this might damage our friendship and so we sort of danced around it for quite a while. I hate to say it, but apparently Scott forced Ally’s hand a little, so I suppose I have him to thank for giving us the necessary push. Although I’m not sure he’s too happy with the outcome.”

Stiles rolled his eyes “On what grounds could he possibly have a problem with it? I mean, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised by him being hypocritical, but somehow it still does surprise me every time…”

Lydia shrugged.

“We all changed. I’m not going to excuse his actions or behavior, but I think having the responsibility, power and recognition he got early on due to that whole ‘True Alpha’ thing that was pushed upon him does things to you. 

It has the potential to mess up your perspective and the way you think of your actions. 

And I mean, we were kids ourselves of course, but we still all just sort of accepted that he was supposed to be the leader, you know…”

She sighed and leaned back herself, drinking more of her frappuccino.

“Don’t get me wrong, he annoys me, a lot. And he makes very stupid decisions, too often. And he absolutely is a hypocrite. I also feel like he isn’t the best partner for Allison. Or in general to be honest. But I’m just saying, all that isn’t coming out of nowhere.”

Stiles sighed as well, tapping the side of his cup with his fingers.

Thinking about Scott, especially about what his friend, his brother, had turned into was still stressful for him.

Stiles felt good these days, most of the time.

He felt good as an alpha.

It felt right, it felt like something he was good at, something actually positive and constructive.

It also sometimes felt good, in a terrible way, to be petty, just that little bit.

To show Scott that Stiles was someone he should have listened to.

That Stiles knew what he was doing, that Stiles was good at it, that he had put the work in.

But Stiles knew those petty thoughts weren’t really healthy, as good and satisfying as they might sometimes feel.

He shouldn’t do things because they proved his worth to others. He had done that for way too long already.

He was trying to do things because they were good for him.

And his pack was exactly that.

Something that was good for him.

Something he created himself, with someone he…

Someone he loved.

Peter.

Jesus fucking Christ...he did.

That was...scary.

He was building something, and feelings...they could be so fickle, so fragile…

And there were so many destructive influences around them, so many things that could destroy that little family he was trying to grow with Peter, and Erica and Boyd…

He shouldn’t think of Scott as someone he wanted to prove wrong.

Scott was an aggressive element to what Stiles was building and that was first and foremost what Stiles had to keep in mind.

He didn’t believe in striking first, he had no desire to fuel the animosity that was currently between them, but he definitely should concentrate on how to protect himself and his pack.

“You are right. There are reasons for his behavior, I know, I’ve seen his development from the very first day. But you are also right that it doesn’t excuse anything.

We are all adults by now and all of us went through hell and back, everyone in different ways. At some point your behavior is your own responsibility and so is reflecting on it and changing it if said behavior is harmful to the people around you. 

I have tried to make him see that, to make him listen, make him somehow understand.

Many times.

At some point it’s not on others anymore to explain to him why they are upset.

He will learn or he won’t, but not at the expense of me and my pack.”

Lydia hmm-ed.

“Maybe losing you is exactly what he needs to actually open his eyes.”

Stiles shook his head.

“I doubt it, but I understand that you are trying to stay hopeful for Allison and I won’t fault you for it.”

With a thin lipped smile Lydia nodded in agreement.

“Speaking of Allison. I thought, maybe after everything has calmed down a little, you, me, Allison and Peter could do something like a double date.”

Stiles grinned at the idea.

“I’d like that.”

  
  


~*~

  
  


As Stiles came home from his meeting with Lydia he entered the flat to the amazing smell of some sort of fish and delicious herbs as well as the sound of activity in the kitchen.

He went into the kitchen and saw Peter making what looked like lemon butter salmon and sauteed veggies.

Well, soon to be sauteed veggies, they were still in the pan.

“Hello Sweetheart” Peter said with a heart achingly soft smile towards Stiles, as he moved the broccoli, carrots and zucchini a little bit around.

“I thought after work and talking to Lydia you’d probably be exhausted and not feel like cooking. So, since I won’t stand for you being neglected, I thought I’d take that off your hands tonight.”

And the realization just hit Stiles again.

He loved Peter.

It wasn’t the food of course, just...seeing Peter, in Stiles’ home, waiting for him, being there, knowing that Stiles had had a long day, knowing that Stiles probably just would have gone to sleep without eating…

He had no way to express how that made him feel, how it filled him to the brim with just...too much...feeling.

Stiles felt his hands shaking a little and then he just started crying.

“Oh baby…” Peter said, his voice so gentle.

He immediately turned off the heat, took the pan off the hot cooking plate and moved to Stiles, offering his arms but not embracing Stiles before he stepped into the hug willingly.

And even that little moment made Stiles feel so understood in such strange ways.

He just dropped his head into the crook of Peter’s neck and cried, silently, while Peter held him, one hand at the small of his back, one hand at his nape, making soft and calming noises and speaking words of reassurance.

Eventually Stiles felt empty, in a good way, in a cleansed way.

He took a deep breath and then a step back.

Looking at Peter’s caring expression was still a lot, but he wasn’t going to get overwhelmed again, at least not right now.

Peter pulled out a handkerchief and dried Stiles’ face with it.

Stiles laughed, although it still sounded a little fragile, as he was reminded of several times when Peter had pulled out a handkerchief after a fight.

“So how bad was it with Lydia? Does she hate you for fraternizing with me, like you feared?”

Stiles shook his head slightly.

“No, you were right, and I mean, I knew that fear was mostly just anxiety talking...but I’m still glad. She actually was very accepting and it was...good. It was a lot, but it was good.”

Peter smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that. So how about you sit yourself down and tell me how it went while I finish up dinner?”

Stiles swallowed but nodded and sat down at the kitchen table.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I cried?”

Peter had turned the stove back on and shrugged.

“I can sense that it wasn’t a bad feeling that caused it, so I am comfortable to just let you find the right time to talk about it yourself.”

Stiles froze, he felt his heartbeat speeding up and didn’t have the capacity to regulate it right now.

“So you know…” he breathed out, anxious.

Peter shook his head, without turning back to look at Stiles, but his voice was poignant.

“No, I don’t. Not unless you say it.”

It was factual, simple, and yet filled with so much meaning.

Stiles understood.

Peter knew.

In a way.

But he didn’t  _ know _ .

He knew of the potential, but he and Stiles were alike in these things.

Neither could just assume that something good was true. They needed the confirmation, they needed someone to actually commit to it.

It was just that...Stiles didn’t feel like he was ready to say it.

He’d need certainty before committing in that way.

He wasn’t sixteen anymore, saying these kinds of things was much harder now than back then when they meant barely more than puppy love and overflowing hormones.

“I will.” he said and this time Peter did turn his face to the side and Stiles could see that he was smiling.

“At your own pace Sweetheart, I’ll be here when you are ready.”

And Stiles knew Peter meant that.

  
  


~*~

  
  


It was Saturday, Peter was out getting some groceries and Stiles had several books on werewolves lying open on his kitchen table, Boyd and Erica both reading the same text on classic courting traditions.

Stiles had known the bitten betas hadn’t been educated properly - heaven, he himself only knew as much as he did because he had researched on his own and Peter had always been willing to answer his questions and lend him books - so he and Peter had offered them the opportunity to learn more about themselves.

And they actually hadn’t moaned or groaned about having to read boring texts.

Instead they had shown genuine curiosity, which had grown the more information they got.

Knowledge had never really been emphasized by Scott.

And academic ways to achieve knowledge even less so.

So Stiles was happy to see his betas find value in it now.

The doorbell of his apartment buzzed and Stiles furrowed his brows.

Peter had a key.

Erica sniffed in the air.

“A woman, a werewolf, she smells...vaguely familiar, but I can’t place her scent.”

Stiles furrowed his brows further.

That description did narrow it down a little.

But not a lot.

He headed to the door and schooled his expression and controlled his heartbeat before opening it.

  
  


The woman in front of him looked maybe in her 50s.

She gave Stiles a calm smile and nodded at him as a greeting. 

“Alpha Stilinski” Satomi Ito said pleasantly and Stiles was very curious where this visit was going to lead.

Stiles bowed his head with a polite smile.

“Alpha Ito.”

Then he stepped aside and gestured back into his apartment.

“Please come in.”

“Satomi-san, please.” she said and Stiles tilted his head, accepting the offer of the less formal title.

She walked past him, without tripping up any of the wards placed on Stiles’ home, which meant she didn’t come with bad intentions or hidden spells or weapons.

Of course a werewolf alpha in itself was a powerful weapon, and she could easily change her mind after she was inside the wards, but Stiles doubted it’d come to that.

  
  


Boyd and Erica both had gotten up, not wolfed out, but clearly a little concerned.

“Relax guys, if she had ill intentions she wouldn’t have made it over the threshold.”

Stiles motioned at both of them “Satomi-san, did you ever officially meet my betas, Erica Reyes and Vernon Boyd?”

She offered both a small smile.

“I didn’t. Nice to meet both of you.”

She glanced at the kitchen table and her smile widened a little.

“I see you are reading on courting traditions. It’s an interesting practice, even if it has somewhat fallen out of style in the last two decades or so.”

Stiles grinned and pulled out a fourth chair.

“Please, take a seat. We’d be delighted to hear your experiences with it. Or other traditions you came across. And when Peter is back we can discuss why you came here. In the meantime I’ll make some tea.”

  
  


~*~

  
  


Satomi was in the middle of telling a story about a younger, born werewolf who had been infatuated with her in the 70s, when all three werewolves turned their heads and Stiles knew Peter had to be close to home.

Sure enough, a few moments later there was the noise of Peter opening the door and coming in.

Erica and Boyd both got up and went to help Peter by taking the groceries and putting them away.

Which freed Peter up to saunter into the kitchen with a charming smile, kiss Stiles’ cheek and then greet their guest with a polite bow as well.

“Satomi-san, what a pleasant surprise.”

Stiles noted that Peter was standing behind where he himself was sitting, showing unity, showing his reference in status and power to Stiles, but also protective, close enough to prevent most attacks that could happen.

Satomi gave Peter one of her small smiles.

“Peter, it is good to see that you are doing well.”

She didn’t have to say anything more, the implication that Peter hadn’t been ‘well’ in the past was clear to hear.

Before Stiles or Peter had anything to say to that though she continued.

“What I came here to discuss is usually done so among alphas.” she said, neutrally, not saying anything about whether or not it’d bother her if his betas stayed.

Stiles kept his own facial expression pleasant but made it clear with his tone of voice that he was not interested in debate over this.

“They can leave if they want to, but I am not going to order them to go away. I hope you can respect that.”

Her smile widened again.

“I do. Very well. I am here to suggest an alliance between our packs.”

Stiles nodded, he had expected as much.

He felt some curiosity through his pack bond with Boyd, but no shock or surprise, it was a logical step for the most part.

“I am honored. But what about your alliance with the McCall pack?”

Satomi slightly tilted her head, thoughtfully.

“The McCall pack is still a valuable ally of mine, in that it holds quite some territory in this area and it is always better to get along of course. 

But your pack seems promising, rising, and has the potential to be more...grounded. 

I do not consult my other alliances in who I seek new ones with. 

I don’t see why a conflict between your two packs should necessarily involve my pack, unless one of you forces me to choose a side.”

Stiles nodded again.

“I assume if one of us tried to force your hand in such a conflict you would by default choose the side that didn’t try to apply force.”

This time her smile wasn’t as friendly as before.

“Or I would break off both alliances to preserve my pack’s security.”

He found that very reasonable.

“I would not fault you for that. Well then, what do you seek in your suggested alliance, and what do you offer?”

Her posture changed a little, they were coming to the core of the matter.

This was where it counted.

“I want free, undisturbed passage through your territory for me and the members of my pack. I also want your aid, when called upon, and exchange of information that might be relevant to me and my pack. In return I offer the exact same.”

It sounded very alright.

Stiles could feel Peter nudge their shared bond, but for now he ignored it, he had some concessions he himself wanted to make.

“I would be willing to offer aid, when called upon, but only to the degree that our pack can spare it. We are a small pack with little resources so far and we are no martyrs.”

Satomi nodded easily.

“Of course, pack comes first. It is the same for me.”

Stiles gave her a respectful smile and then deliberately took a sip from his tea.

“I am positive we will come to an agreement, but if you don’t mind, Satomi-san, I would like to discuss your offer with my pack before finalizing things.”

She took a sip from her own tea as well and furrowed her brows lightly, as she had done when she had taken her first sip earlier as well.

Stiles’ skills at tea making probably weren’t what she was used to.

“I don’t mind. Should I come back another day?”

Stiles shook his head.

“If you have the time, we will just retreat to another room, have a short discussion and come back to you. I really think this will be cleared up fairly quickly.”

She shrugged “I brought time.”

She had probably planned for the possibility of long, tedious negotiations.

He acknowledged her statement with another short nod and then motioned his betas to follow him to the living room.

In there he placed a silencing spell around them to make sure the alpha sitting in his kitchen couldn’t hear them.

As he gave the thumbs up for everyone to speak Peter started talking.

“Reishi tea. She has a supplier that has consistent quality. It’s a lot more reliable than getting it from amazon, and a lot more convenient than driving several hours to the next magic supply shop. If they even stock it. She used to give it to Talia. I also think we could benefit from her experience and knowledge.

Satomi might not be the most powerful werewolf around, but she has decades of training, and she is a bitten wolf, so she understands the struggle of bitten wolves better than you or I can Stiles. Our pack would stand to benefit from it massively. Not to mention she knows how to keep her scent hidden. I am not sure if she would teach us that ability, and we don’t really need it, thanks to your magic, but if she is willing to teach us, it could still be useful.”

Stiles took those things in and nodded slowly, looking at his other two betas.

Boyd shrugged “I already thought it sounded pretty good, but I do think Peter is right, a seasoned, turned werewolf as a teacher would be a big improvement. There are some things that aren’t easily explained if you always knew how to do them instinctively and the person you are teaching has lived most of their developing years without those instincts.”

Erica bobbed her head enthusiastically.

“She also knows a lot. I am sure it could also be interesting to have her tell us some things from her life experience, add her thoughts to the topics we are learning about…”

That was another fair point.

“Those are all good suggestions, but they beg the question, what we can offer her additionally. Because she probably isn’t going to visit us to teach you guys regularly, just out of the goodness of her heart.”

Satomi was a very fair person, but not someone who’d let others take advantage of her.

“I could offer supervised access to our vaults.” Peter suggested.

That was a very good offer.

“I could also offer up my magical services, create wards for them and things like that…” Stiles added.

Peter nodded at his words.

“I think that is worth a lot, considering they don’t have an emissary, as far as I know.”

“Yeah…”

There was a beat of silence between them and Stiles chewed on his bottom lip.

“Alright, so that’s that? That’s what we ask for and what we offer?”

His pack nodded in agreement and Stiles grinned at them.

He felt incredibly proud of them, they were actually doing pretty good.

At least if Satomi agreed to the offered deal…

  
  


She agreed.

They would pay for the Reishi of course, but she was willing to visit them every other week for an afternoon to train Erica and Boyd with Peter together and to discuss their academic studies with all of them. 

She even mentioned that she felt like it could benefit her as well.

In return Stiles would come up at least once a month, or if needed more often to provide some magical services to her pack.

And silently Stiles thought that the practice would probably do him good as well, since a pack as small as his didn’t have as many demands as a pack the size of the Ito-pack.

  
  


After Satomi had left, their mood was excited yet relaxed.

This felt like a big step to growing mentally, as a pack.

Together they had attracted and negotiated an alliance.

Here was hoping it’d hold.

  
  


~*~

  
  


Stiles was standing in his living room, tense and kind of feeling like he might throw up. 

This was the kind of thing he hated. He'd have to do it, but he hated it.

Given the choice he'd readily jump into a fight with most supernatural creatures before he'd want to do this.

But there was no way around it.

He dialed Scott's number.

It was picked up pretty immediately.

"OH MY GOD STILES! IT'S YOU! ARE YOU OKAY?!? I CAN COME AND SAFE YOU RIGHT NOW!! I'M GOING TO MAKE PETER REGRET THIS! JUST TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE, I'LL BE THERE IN UNDER A MINUTE."

Stiles took a deep breath and sighed.

"Hello, Scott. I am okay. Better than in a very long time actually. And I'm definitely not in need of saving. I'd also appreciate, if you didn't bother my boyfriend and beta. And I am in my territory, in my home. And while you are welcome to cross my territory if necessary I do not want to see you in my home at the moment. Not with that attitude.

Now…"

He took another deep breath and Scott actually stayed quiet and waited for him to continue. Stiles desperately hoped this was a good sign. But he couldn't be sure until Scott spoke again.

So, on with the reason for calling Scott in the first place.

"I am calling because I hoped by now you'd have some information on what happened with the claws that were entrusted to Deaton."

There was silence on the other end.

“Scott? Hello? Can you hear me?”

“That’s why you are calling?” Scott asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

Stiles felt his own face fall, this didn’t sound promising.

“Yes, that’s why I am calling.”

He said, making an effort to sound calm. 

“I know the culprit of the case the claws were supposed to help with has turned out to be human and all, but that doesn’t change the fact that the claws are missing. I told you I would go and look for them myself if they don’t turn up, so obviously I am going to follow up on them.”

“Deaton is looking for them, but I didn’t ask him about them recently. So I have no news for you.” Scott said, his voice tinged with bitterness.

Great…

He had hoped this part might solve itself, but apparently not.

“Alright. I am going to look for them myself then.”

There was a heavy sigh on the other end.

“This isn’t really your issue anymore Stiles. As you keep insisting, you aren’t part of the pack anymore. So you shouldn’t get involved in pack matters.”

Stiles closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to get hung up on the details of what Scott was saying.

He wanted to point out that those claws belonged to Peter, rightfully so.

Derek had given them to Peter in exchange for Peter’s help, they were legitimately his.

That alone made this Stiles’ matter. A valuable possession had been stolen from one of his betas.

But Stiles also knew the more he mentioned Peter the more Scott would convince himself that Stiles was being manipulated and not acting of his own volition.

Which would not be helpful in the slightest.

So he decided to focus on the other facts, which would still be more than enough to justify his involvement.

“Those claws can be abused, Scott. And, as you know, they in fact have been used to abuse a member of my pack in the past. So beyond the fact that the claws don’t belong to your pack, it does matter to me whether or not they are a threat. Additionally I didn’t ask for your permission to look for them, I informed you of it, as a mere courtesy.”

Scott sounded frustrated, when he talked again.

“I’d rather have them be missing than know they are in the hands of someone who already loves to manipulate people. If nobody knows where they are, they can’t be abused.”

Stiles chewed on his fingernails, feeling more and more stressed by the conversation, by having to deal with Scott and his short-sightedness.

“Well, if I can find them, then others could find them as well. So following your own logic, you have no more reason to be worried about me finding them, than about anybody else finding them either. And if you are worried someone ‘who loves to manipulate people’ will get them, then you should be all the more dedicated to finding them first, not less.

Goodbye Scott.”

He heard Scott starting to argue but forced himself to hang up.

Almost immediately his phone rang and showed Scott’s face, with a crooked, goofy smile on the display. 

The picture was years old by now, Stiles wasn’t even sure from when.

And he should probably change it.

He declined the call.

The phone went silent, which only meant that Stiles could hear and feel his rapid heartbeat echo all the more deafening through his body.

In the past this would have meant he’d probably have a panic attack any moment now.

But he felt three connections, radiating support towards him, even though they were in different areas of town.

From the strongest one, Peter, he even got a clear emotional read, love and admiration mixed with some underlying anger.

Stiles knew the anger wasn’t directed at him, but at Scott causing Stiles such anxiety.

The phone rang again.

It still made Stiles’ heart race, but this time he reacted far quicker and with more confidence.

After he declined the call this time the phone stayed silent.

  
  


Stiles sat down on his couch and wrapped his arms around himself.

He knew his packmates could sense how he felt and in turn he could feel how they were sending him soothing emotions and love.

He felt supported, but that didn’t mean all the turmoil went away.

It just helped manage it.

It was so god damn painful.

At least when a loved one died you got to genuinely grief for them and the love you had for each other.

Having that love turn sour, turn toxic, having to reject it yourself, to save yourself…

It felt like he had to cut off a part of himself, because it was infected with something that would otherwise spread and consume him.

It felt violent.

He hated this part.

  
  


His eyes stayed dry, even though he wished he could cry, even though the pressure of the grief inside him would be helped by welling over.

He felt incapable.

He’d held it in for too long to release it on his own anymore.

He wanted someone to make him.

He wanted Peter.

  
  


But he had sent Peter away for the afternoon, wanting to take Peter as much out of this conflict with Scott, as possible.

And he knew unless Stiles actively asked him to come back Peter would respect Stiles’ order.

And Stiles knew that was good, because he had to be able to handle this kind of stuff on his own, should it be necessary.

He curled up on his couch and just closed his eyes.

Being a responsible person was very exhausting sometimes…

  
  


~*~

  
  


Isaac entered the room hesitantly.

He could feel that Scott was upset and he knew that might mean Scott needed someone to comfort him, but it could also mean it’d be better to stay out of his hair until he was in a better mood.

But Scott was his boyfriend, and his alpha, and Isaac knew it was the right thing to at least see if he was needed.

“Hey...Scott. You wanna talk about what’s going on?”

Scott turned around to Isaac and his face, scrunched up in hurt and irritation, but then turned softer.

“I...it’s just...a lot.” Scott said, his voice a little hoarse.

Isaac was relieved to see Scott wasn’t in an angry mood and moved closer, until he could pull Scott into a hug.

“I know…”

“I can’t believe Peter stole Stiles from me while I wasn’t looking...I...how is Stiles not seeing what’s really going on?”

Isaac was not nearly as convinced as Scott on the whole idea that Stiles was being manipulated by Peter. What Erica had told him sounded a lot more like Peter was giving Stiles the attention and validation he had been missing from their pack and particularly Scott.

Also Erica had made some very clear implications about what she suspected of Stiles’ and Peter’s sex life…

And Stiles’ position within Scott’s pack had always been...weird.

He was not about to defend Stiles in front of Scott, but Isaac could see how someone would make the choice to leave those circumstances for a pack of their own. 

“He probably doesn’t see it your way. Stiles’ perspective might be entirely different than yours.”

It was a lame response, but what else was there to say.

“Yeah I guess…” Scott sighed and loosened their hug a little.

“Things are getting out of hand with him. I am not happy about this, but I think we should call for backup, we could use some more eyes to figure out what is going on.”

Isaac raised a brow at that, “Who do you have in mind?”

Scott gave Isaac a bitter, one sided smile.

“Our friends in London.”

Alright, that was a choice.

“I’m not sure I would call Ethan and Jackson ‘friends’, but if you think they’ll be helpful I can call them.”

The alpha shook his head.

“No, I’ll call them myself, I need you to do something else for me?”

And then he pulled away from their hug entirely and recovered a square tin box from under the bed.

There was a sigil drawn on the lid of it with a sharpie.

“I need you to put this someplace safe, where nobody will ever find it.”

Isaac took the box, studying the sigil and realizing he had seen it before.

“Isn’t this the box Stiles modified to keep those claws from being stolen or even detected?”

Scott nodded.

Isaac took a deep breath.

“Is this what I think it is?”

Scott nodded again.

“Yeah.”

Isaac didn’t know how to feel about that.

  
  


~*~

  
  


There was a very nice sensation Stiles became aware of.

He was surrounded by a deeply comforting smell and something tickling his forehead.

As he woke up he realized he was lying on his couch and Peter was standing next to it, just moving back from having given Stiles’ forehead a soft kiss.

“This is nice” Stiles murmured with a slightly melancholy smile.

He felt better, sleeping had helped him process some of the conversation he’d had with his former best friend.

But there was a lingering sadness.

And he supposed he’d always have that when it came to Scott.

In a similar way as he’d always have it when it came to his mother.

Peter combed Stiles’ hair with his fingers.

“How are you, Kapturek?”

Stiles’ smile became more grateful but didn’t fully get rid of that hint of sadness.

“I’m...I’ll be okay, thank you, Peter.”

There was a moment of surprise on the wolf’s face as Stiles called him by his name instead of the nickname.

“If you are sure...I don’t mind, if you-”

Stiles shook his head gently.

“Thank you, really. I know we’ve kind of started this routine of you taking over whenever my feelings become overwhelming for me. And I appreciate that a lot, because it helps me a lot, and I crave it.”

He grinned.

“You have no idea how much I crave it sometimes.”

Peter raised one of his brows.

“I do think I have a fairly accurate sense of that, Sweetheart” he said with amusement in his voice. 

Stiles smirked right back.

“Okay, maybe you do. And I craved it earlier today too, but right now I need to feel it. I need to allow myself some time to grieve this. So could we maybe just cuddle?”

Peter’s expression turned soft, in a way Stiles knew most people who were alive today had never seen Peter’s face become.

It was a precious thing that Stiles treasured a lot.

“Of course, my love, come, let’s go to bed, it’ll be more comfortable in case you fall asleep again.”

That was true.

His couch was old and worn out, there was a part of the underlying, wooden structure that was pressing against his back uncomfortably actually…

He got up with a groan and felt Peter half pull, half carry him to the bedroom.

Stiles just crawled into bed, and after getting rid of his shoes and jeans Peter did the same.

They snuggled close under the blanket and Peter let his fingers gently paint along Stiles’ back.

Stiles noted that the touches very deliberately stayed away from moving underneath his shirt and it made him chuckle.

“What’s that about?” Peter asked, his voice full of fondness.

“I’m just laughing about the concept of Peter Hale, but with 19th century etiquette.”

Peter snorted and pulled Stiles closer.

“I’m in my underwear and shirt-”

“And socks!” Stiles interrupted.

“And socks.” Peter agreed with a grin.

“While lying in your bed, under your blanket, with you also just in your underwear and shirt, sans socks even - which is frankly scandalous, if I may say so - holding you close to my heart, touching your body with nothing but a flimsy bit of fabric between your skin and my fingertips...for 19th century etiquette that is downright frivolous.”

Stiles grinned and lifted his head so he could look at Peter’s face.

“If you say it like that it actually does sound kinda sexy…”

Now it was Peter’s turn to chuckle.

“Are you coming on to me, Mr. Stilinski? I was under the impression this was supposed to be nothing but innocent cuddling. I’ll have you know I’m a man of honor.”

Stiles giggled and feigned shock.

“A man of honor!? In my chambers? In my bed? I can’t have THAT.”

He moved to push the blanket back and straddle Peter instead. 

“I’ll have to defile you, at once!” he said, grinning and leaned down to give Peter a filthy kiss.

The werewolf groaned into it with some surprise and his hands hesitantly took hold on Stiles’ waist.

After a few more moments of quite stimulating making-out Stiles leaned back again with a cheeky smirk, licking his lips and watching Peter’s slightly dazed expression.

“That came a little unexpected…” Peter said with a smile.

“What happened to letting yourself feel your feelings and let’s just cuddle and all that?”

Stiles huffed.

“Well I guess my feelings right now are that I don’t need to be wearing a collar to have the hots for you. 

And feeling sad about Scott isn’t very interesting when I have someone smart and funny wrapping their sexy, strong arms around me and exchanging silly flirtations with me.”

He smiled softly and continued.

“I still don’t feel like wearing the collar right now, I guess I’m in the mood for some sexy times on eye level...if you are up for that, of course.”

Peter licked his lips again.

“If you are sure, I’d not be opposed.”

Stiles gave Peter a short peck on the lips, followed by a devious grin.

“Let me show you how sure I am.” he purred before moving lower on Peter’s body.

“I do like where this is going” Peter mused, watching as Stiles pulled his boxers down, took his slowly growing erection in hand and started to play with it with his tongue.

At the sensation Peter closed his eyes and leaned back.

He used to enjoy letting go of control when it came to sex, had enjoyed playing with the power dynamics. But ever since the fire he’d had difficulty with the idea of not being in full control of his body.

Stiles though, Stiles made him feel safe. He didn’t think for a moment that it’d be a bad thing for Stiles to be in control of him. He already trusted Stiles to make the right decisions for their pack. This wasn’t a hard choice to make.

He reached down, not sure what he wanted to do with his hand, but as Stiles took it in his and intertwined their fingers, stimulating him in a relaxed and gentle pace, it felt good.

Slowly Stiles sought out the most sensitive parts of Peter’s dick and started to hone in on them.

Peter squeezed Stiles’ hand a little tighter, as he felt something shift within him.

His heart dropped into his gut, as he suddenly realized what was happening.

“Oh shit” Peter cursed uncharacteristically, through his dropped fangs, sitting up, his heartbeat skyrocketing with panic.

Stiles looked confused and worried at Peter’s face, as it had gone into beta shift.

“What’s going on? Are you okay, Peter?”

Peter didn’t sense any rejection or disgust from Stiles, neither in scent, voice, nor through their pack bond.

And despite the shock he had just had, the fact Stiles was not appalled at all did kind of turn him on further, which was a strange sensation.

“I...I didn’t mean to shift...especially not...like this…”

He said, his voice a little sheepish as he nodded down to his crotch.

Stiles followed Peter’s gaze to his cock, which was still hard but had changed shape a little.

Peter’s pubic hair had grown thicker and further up his stomach, where he usually shaved it away, and at the base of his cock there was the beginning of a knot visible.

“Oh!” Stiles said, sounding more surprised and fascinated than anything else.

“That’s...I...I mean...are you okay? Is this...okay?”

And again Peter was amazed by Stiles’ reaction.

“Is it okay for you?” he asked back.

Stiles had been looking at Peter with clear curiosity, taking note of how his body had shifted and apparently did not see anything revolting to him.

“Definitely, if it doesn’t feel bad to you…”

Peter shook his head.

“It doesn’t.”

Stiles licked his lips this time.

“Well then, can I…”

Peter nodded and Stiles moved closer again, taking hold of Peter’s cock.

Stiles’ first touches were exploratory and Peter witnessed in awe, as Stiles clearly gained pleasure from figuring out this new situation.

It was mesmerizing to watch Stiles use his fingers, lips and tongue to test out Peter’s reactions almost gleefully.

Soon it got difficult to keep his eyes open though, as Stiles got more confident in what he was doing and more reliably drew noises of pleasure from Peter’s lips.

So he closed his eyes again and leaned back, trying his best not to accidentally shred the sheets with his now clawed hands.

This felt pretty amazing, it wasn’t even really comparable to any past experience, because Stiles, just by being himself, got Peter aroused in ways nobody else would be capable of.

His knot was growing though and he felt how his body was shifting further and building up to eventually climax and he did feel like he wanted to at least give Stiles some idea what to expect.

So with his voice strained he tried to communicate his intention.

“Stiles…” he was panting heavily, his voice by now quite distorted by his shifted vocals, but Stiles did stop playing with that sensitive rim and coaxing his knot to grow further by pumping it with a particularly effective twist of his fingers.

“Are you okay, Peter?” Stiles asked and Peter nodded quickly.

“Yes. I just...this will become big, and messy. And a lot. And for a while…you probably don’t want it to get stuck in your mouth.”

Stiles’ eyes glazed over for a moment.

“Well maybe one day” he said but seemed to see Peter’s point.

“I do also kinda want to know what it feels like if you fuck me with it...but I understand if that’d be too much right now…”

The thought of burying his knot inside Stiles was enough on its own to make another wave of arousal rush through him and he shook his head a little.

“It’d not be too much for me...but it might be painful for you…”

Stiles giggled at that and leaned forward to kiss Peter on his mouth, not bothered by the sharp teeth, fur or anything else.

“Some pain just makes it more interesting. I know the safeword and I trust you, my beautiful, beloved wolf.”

Not a word in that sentence was a lie and Peter could not comprehend the idea of finding him beautiful in this form.

But he was not going to question it.

“Well then” he said, showing all his teeth in a truly beastly grin “Turn around so I can prepare you, my love.”

Stiles nodded and moved away for a moment to get rid of his clothes before returning to him with an uncertain smile.

“Like...do you want to 69 for this or…”

Peter chuckled in a way that sounded not entirely human through his shifted throat.

“I’d prefer you on the bed, on your hands and knees. I want to focus on you for this.”

Stiles blushed a little but nodded again and did as Peter had told him.

And he was glad about it, because when Peter’s toothy mouth pressed against his hole and that tongue started to tease its way past his sphincter it became hard to concentrate, quickly.

Peter knew what to do, in general, between the sheets and specifically with Stiles.

And apparently another side effect of Peter’s shift was that his tongue was longer than before.

A discovery Stiles mostly noted with a surprised, guttural groan.

As Stiles pressed towards the sensation Peter grabbed his' thighs with his hands, to keep him from moving too much.

And the little pinpricks of his claws got Stiles’ heart beating even faster.

He felt his own cock, hanging heavily between his legs, leak a little precum and that was when Peter pulled away.

Stiles whined involuntarily at that but quickly Peter moved to grab the lube out of the bedside table and then leaned over Stiles’ body to talk to him.

It was a little hard to focus on the words though, because Peter’s very hard cock was rubbing against Stiles’ very hard cock between his thighs and that was extremely distracting.

Stiles managed to catch the lowly spoken words though.

“You’ll have to help me open you up further, Sweetheart. I am not risking to pop a claw while having my fingers inside you, because your obscene noises do unspeakable things to me.”

Stiles groaned in response and Peter growled right into his ear, one hand pulling on Stiles’ hair while pushing his body against him from behind, causing terrible, beautiful friction between their cocks.

Grasping the bottle of lube Stiles focused on his task, slicking up his own fingers and reaching back to stretch himself.

He wasn’t patient or gentle with himself, desperate to get to the point where he’d be able to feel Peter inside him again.

Glancing back he could see Peter kneeling there, watching Stiles work himself open, eyes glowing beta blue, hand lazily playing with his cock, probably to keep the knot up.

Stiles wanted to touch that knot again, it was an exhilarating feeling to have it grow and pulse underneath his fingers, his tongue…

He wanted to feel that inside him even more though.

“Hng...Peter…” he whined at the thought and he got an answering, deeply primal growl in response.

A clawed hand grabbed his hip.

“Ready?” Peter’s distorted voice asked and while Stiles knew he could have done more he was definitely done waiting.

So he pulled out his fingers and nodded while bracing himself against the headboard.

“Ready.”

Most of Peter’s cock slid right into Stiles in a lovely and familiar way.

But then they approached the knot and Stiles could feel his muscle struggling with the stretch.

He felt a little dizzy and there was cold sweat forming on his skin, but as he sensed concern in Peter Stiles spoke demandingly: “Keep going.”

And Peter did.

He grasped Stiles’ shoulder firmly and pulled him back, as he thrusted his hips forward.

Stiles almost collapsed, as his muscle slid over the thickest part of Peter’s knot and relaxed when it came to rest at the base of the cock.

His vision became blurred and spotty and his ears were ringing.

He panted and his hands and thighs were shaking a little.

He could hear Peter breathing heavily against his nape as well, could feel his hot breath on his skin.

Stiles felt incredibly full, it was a sensation that was genuinely hard to grasp, it just made his mind whirl when he tried to focus on it too much.

“Are you okay?” he heard Peter’s strained voice.

He nodded and tried to breath and relax into all he was feeling.

“Is it okay if I move?” he heard the next question.

He hesitated shortly but then nodded again.

Peter started rocking them back and forth gently, hands rubbing soothingly over Stiles back, sides and thighs.

“Look at you…” he whispered almost reverently.

“You are so beautiful…” he groaned, as he pushed forward and Stiles made strained noises but also moved with the thrust.

“My Stiles.”

Stiles moaned scandalously and Peter leaned forward to nip at his nape lovingly.

“Is it ok if I move faster?”

Stiles changed the positions of his hands a little to brace himself some better and then nodded.

So Peter went into a faster rhythm, not aggressive but more demanding.

He took hold of Stiles’ hips to maintain the new pace.

The sensation of knotting Stiles was making his mind a little hazy, his instincts were telling him to just rut into Stiles’ hole, filling his bitch with his load, but he just grunted and restrained himself, intent on making Stiles feel safe with him.

Stiles though started to push back against Peter’s thrusts and it was driving him a little crazy.

“Darling…” he growled, “you drive me mad my love...I don’t want to hurt you.”

Stiles shook his head “Please...hurt me. I want you to…”

Peter stopped thrusting and closed his eyes for a moment, leaning his forehead against Stiles’ back.

“I don’t want you to regret this.”

“I...won’t.” Stiles panted and pushed back to emphasize his words.

Peter took a deep breath, trying to trust that Stiles meant those words.

He continued moving, slowly, then speeding up a bit and some more.

He grabbed Stiles’ hips seriously and started pulling Stiles back while thrusting forward, snapping his hip.

The sensation was almost overwhelming.

His mind was starting to get some tunnel vision for his climax.

It was filled with base thoughts.

Now he was rutting, balls full, brain empty, just wet heat, friction, Stiles’ scent and voice and that promise, that promise of sweet, sweet release of that pressure and heat building within him.

Then suddenly, he came.

With the tipping point he thrust into Stiles and tensed, as he filled Stiles up.

Some cum squeezed past the knot and slowly trickled down Stiles’ thighs, while Stiles’ body shook and Peter panted heavily.

  
  


A few moments went by, just filled with their noises, Stiles slightly moaning and whimpering, accompanied by Peter’s heavy breathing.

Eventually Peter realized Stiles had not orgasmed yet and he took a deep breath before reaching around and taking hold of the younger man’s angrily red cock.

Stiles gasped in surprise but pushed into the sensation as Peter began to jerk him off.

It didn’t take long and Stiles came as well, the scent of their seed mixing in the air.

“You okay?” Peter asked and Stiles nodded sluggishly.

“Okay if we lie down, darling?”

Stiles nodded again and Peter helped Stiles move so they were able to spoon, the knot still tying them together.

“Are you okay?” Stiles murmured after a while and Peter gave Stiles’ nape a kiss and nodded.

“Very.”

  
  


~*~

  
  


Stiles was relieved when he found the tree stump he had been looking for.

Now that he was looking at it it took some effort to push down his feelings of resentment.

It wasn’t the Nemeton’s fault that it had been hurt and poisoned and abused.

It was a victim, lashing out.

And in difference to a person the tree, or what was left of it, didn’t have the ability to just speak it’s mind and make it’s needs heard.

In fact, being recognized as a genuine victim was hard enough even if you were vocal about it.

Still, Stiles had also personally suffered from the way the tree had lashed out in the past.

So he supposed the first step for him would be to make peace with it.

At least at this point in his life he actually had the magical experience and knowledge to do more than guesswork and trusting a druid that could tell you nothing in a thousand words or more.

He sat down on the forest floor, leaning his back against the stump, legs crossed and hands placed on his thighs, palms down, towards the earth.

  
  


It didn’t take long for the familiar presence to make itself known.

The tree wasn’t kind or gentle per se, but it recognized Stiles and greeted him hungrily.

He made it clear that right now he wasn’t here to feed it anything, but ask if there was some way to help long term.

Stiles felt the tree’s pain and rage and despair and desperation and suddenly making peace didn’t feel all that hard.

While still working with Scott he had suggested trying to communicate with the tree several times, but since their first interaction with it had been so catastrophic, pretty much nobody had thought that was a good idea.

Even Peter had voiced his concerns.

Stiles understood now that Peter had merely been worried Stiles might get hurt.

And he understood the reluctance to support him in his admittedly ambitious plan to heal the old tree. But he was still glad that Peter had come around to supporting Stiles in the endeavor.

And Stiles had understood Peter was not a fan of Stiles visiting the tree alone, but Stiles knew if this was supposed to work he had to show the tree that he could be trusted first.

So here he was.

And now he knew he had been right.

This was a being that needed help.

Careful to keep his own mind guarded from anything that could try to infect him like the Nogitsune had, Stiles started to send positive, sympathetic and soothing thoughts and feelings towards the tree.

There was something like the groan of branches being moved by wind echoing on the clearing and Stiles realized it came from the surrounding trees, which were probably quite heavily influenced by the Nemeton’s presence.

Then suddenly his mind was flooded by...knowledge? memories?

It was hard to explain but it felt like the Nemeton was giving him sensations it had had in the past, information it had and feelings it had towards that information.

It wasn’t easy to follow the tree’s train of thought - if that was what you could call it - but it was still a lot more than he had known about this life form only moments ago, so he took it as a win.

He had known from the start this would be a long term project, and he found himself confirmed by the things the tree was communicating.

But at least it was a willing participant in Stiles’ attempt so far and that was definitely more than he had hoped for.

You and I, we will get there.

He thought towards the tree and the other trees around them were groaning again in response.

  
  


~*~

  
  


Peter had thought things had been good before.

He had felt secure in his relationship with Stiles before.

He had known he loved Stiles more than he loved anything else before.

But something had shifted.

That evening had shown Peter that Stiles meant even more to him than he had thought possible.

Stiles had started a healing process in Peter that he had not known he needed.

For years Peter had been so occupied with the intense and obvious trauma of losing almost his entire pack, being burned alive and abandoned by his alpha while comatose but fully conscious, he had not had the capacity to think about older wounds still festering.

But with Stiles he was able to allow himself to look at his mutilated soul, knowing Stiles’ kind and accepting gaze allowed Peter himself to be less resentful and less unforgiving and disgusted with himself.

He felt raw in a way, but also like he was healing something that had not been able to heal for a long long time.

Absentmindedly he played with the pendant that contained Stiles’ scent, while looking at houses he thought might better fit the growing needs of their pack.

Stiles’ apartment just wasn’t constructed to semi-permanently house four adults, an extensive library and possible additional pack members and guests.

Stiles had agreed, considering Peter was almost always there and even Erica and Boyd slept over at least once a week, they should consider finding a pack house to rent.

They’d be able to afford one of a modest size together.

And Boyd and Erica had sounded enthusiastic about the idea too.

Peter wasn't looking at a house to rent though.

He had enough money to buy a house after all.

More than one, but one was all he needed.

And investing into their pack’s future was something he was excited for.

It’d also take some financial burden away from Stiles and the others, which was definitely making Peter feel even better about his plan.

  
  


He was looking at a very interesting open plan living space, when his doorbell rang.

Peter sighed, closed his laptop and moved towards the door, when he recognized the scent that was slowly reaching him from behind it.

Cora.

He steeled himself for whatever he might have to face on the other side and opened the door to the annoyed looking face of his niece.

“Gotta pee!” she said in lieu of a greeting and then shouldered past him, beelining for his bathroom.

Alright then.

He closed the door with a huff and moved to make some tea for the both of them.

A few minutes later he heard her unlock the bathroom door and then move to the kitchen where he was leaning against the counter, waiting for the tea to be ready.

She looked tired, but also a lot more relaxed and even gave him a careful smile.

“Hey uncle Peter…”

He decided to return the smile, just as carefully.

“Hello pup.”

She rolled her eyes.

Peter smiled innocently.

“Not fond of that term of endearment anymore?”

Cora showed a small involuntary smile.

“No, no, it’s okay. I suppose in the eyes of our elders we always stay children.”

Peter clutched his chest like he had been shot.

“Elder...you wound me. Quick, fetch me my cane before my heart gives out…”

She was now fully grinning and Peter tried not to think about how badly he wanted to hug her.

Being with Stiles really had made him softer around the edges.

Which he supposed was actually a good thing in some ways, but it was also quite irritating sometimes.

Not caring was a lot easier.

His phone alerted him to the fact that the tea was done and he dropped the infuser in the sink before handing his niece one of the cups.

She took it with a thank you and then sniffed it.

“That smells like the tea Mom used to drink all the time.”

Peter took a sip and decided the tea was still too hot.

“It is the tea Talia used to drink. Reishi mushroom tea. Thanks to an alliance with the Ito-Pack we are getting a steady supply again. I thought you might like it. Even though Derek always hated the smell.”

“Really?” Cora asked, surprise coloring her voice.

“It smells kinda earthy and maybe a little popcorn-y? I don’t mind it.”

Peter smiled.

“It’s one of those smells that seems to be a little different for everyone. To me it mostly smells like woods and mushrooms. Erica said it smelled a little like boiling pasta…”

Cora took a sip herself and seemed to find it agreeable.

“What did Mom say it smelled like to her?”

Peter looked at his tea for a moment and swallowed.

“I...never asked.”

Cora paled a little.

“Oh...I...I’m sorry. I mean- “

Peter shook his head and gave her a winning smile.

“It’s okay pup. Let’s change the topic though. Why don’t we sit down in the living room and you tell me why you are here?”

Cora seemed a bit sceptic but nodded then.

“Alright. I did kind of want to talk to Stiles though.”

Oh, interesting.

He pointedly raised his brows at her.

“Well if I have to present you to my alpha I’ll have to insist that you take a shower and change your clothes first, my dear niece.”

Cora rolled her eyes.

“I’ve met Stiles before, he can handle me not smelling like rose petals.”

Peter took another sip of his tea.

“Alright. But do you intend to ask him for something? Something that he as an alpha can do for you?”

Cora sighed.

“Yeah...”

He smiled at her with a minimal amount of smug satisfaction.

“Well, don’t you think it would be beneficial to not come off as the hitchhiking semi-hobo you look and smell like right now?”

She glared at him.

“You sound extremely classist when you say ‘hobo’ like it’s an insult. Which it isn’t, by the way.”

Peter shrugged.

“I know it's not an insult, and I didn’t mean it like one either. Your worth as a werewolf-being is in no way diminished by the fact that you prefer to be out in the jungle and bathe in natural springs or whatever you did while you were gone. It does however mean that you smell right now. And I am not taking my smelly niece to see my alpha. Ask yourself if you would face any other alpha looking and smelling like that if you could help it. Just because it’s Stiles doesn’t mean he’s not also an actual alpha.”

Her shoulders slumped.

“Okay you have a point.”

With a smile Peter gestured out the kitchen door.

“You know where the bathroom is.”

  
  


~*~

  
  


Cora had not told Peter anything else about what she wanted to discuss with Stiles, but Peter had a feeling it was going to involve their entire pack, so he texted Stiles and shared what he knew.

Erica was already at Stiles’ place and soon Boyd was informed to join them as well, so Peter and Cora had also made their way to Stiles’ apartment.

She had a stoic expression on her face, but Peter could sense her nervousness.

He felt the urge to comfort her, like he used to when she had been a child, but even though the two of them got along well, there were still so many things standing between them and the way things used to be.

  
  


They entered Stiles’ apartment and when Cora crossed the threshold nothing happened, so nothing about her had activated any of Stiles’ wards.

“We are in the living room!” Erica yelled from the open door of said room.

Peter motioned for Cora to go first and her eyes flitted to him and back to the door for a moment before she moved.

Boyd and Erica were sprawled out on the couch, Erica with her head in Boyd’s lap, who had his fingers in her hair, braiding it absentmindedly.

Stiles was sitting cross legged in his comfy chair, an old looking book open in his lap.

All three greeted Cora with smiles and she responded uncharacteristically timid by waving a hand.

Peter took note of the fact that Boyd’s and Erica’s smiles seemed tense yet polite for the most part.

And they glanced at each other and at Cora twice.

Was he missing something?

He decided to not let the momentary silence fester and moved past Cora to reach Stiles and give him a short peck.

“Hello darling. Are you reading scary stories to the pups?”

Erica snorted “What are we? Your children?”

Peter grinned at her “Sorry, but only one person gets to call me ‘Daddy’.”

Stiles chuckled and closed the book.

“We were reading about werewolf persecution in medieval Europe. The gruesome execution of an omega in a german village called Lachendorf.”

Peter nodded.

“Right, I remember reading that. Didn’t he reveal himself to a friend and the friend, then told on him and the village hunted him down with dogs and beat him to death?”

“Hey! Spoilers!” Erica exclaimed, but she didn’t seem too upset.

Boyd sighed.

“Not really a spoiler when you already know the werewolf never survives in these stories…”

Stiles nodded.

“Yeah, sadly the part that varies most is what cruel ways people have used to kill werewolves.”

Cora cleared her throat and everyone’s attention moved to where she was still standing.

“Right” Stiles said and got up only for Peter to plop into his place instead of him.

“You wanted to talk to me. Let’s go to the kitchen and talk.”

Cora glanced at Peter, Erica and Boyd once more and then followed Stiles out of the room.

  
  


~*~

  
  


Stiles didn’t know Cora super well. 

Back when she had been an active part of Scott’s pack they had gotten along alright, and he knew she was Peter’s favorite, but he didn’t know her well enough to read her body language or face reliably.

Especially because going through life largely on her own had clearly taught her how to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself.

He pointed at the kitchen table "Please sit. Do you want tea or coffee? I'd offer wolfsbane spiked beer or liquor, but maybe we should keep that for after you told me what you wanted to talk about."

She sat at the table, facing him, as he stood in the kitchen, and she gave him a polite smile. Which seemed out of place on her face, he did know her well enough to know Cora wasn't usually the polite type.

"Thank you, but I had tea already at Peter's place.”

Stiles nodded and joined her at the table.

Close enough to not seem entirely detached but still maintaining a certain distance.

“Well then, what’s on your mind?”

Cora took a deep breath.

“I want to join your pack.”

He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

“I see. What is your reason for wanting to join? I am sure you are aware your choice will have some impact.”

Cora seemed to think about the question.

“I want my family’s territory to see peace and stability in my time and that seems achievable under your leadership."

The 'in difference to Scott's leadership' was implied, but Stiles was happy to not talk about the other alpha right now.

"Alright. This might be a more difficult question, but if that is what you want, why have you been largely absent from Beacon Hills and its struggles for the last years? We could have used your help many times. Convince me you won't bail on us when things get dicey."

Cora looked like she had not expected this question from him, but her one sided smile also indicated she wasn't upset about it.

"I see why Peter chose you as his alpha."

Stiles inclined his head slightly but waited for her to answer his question.

She leaned back and swallowed.

"I tried to put Beacon Hills in the past, find a new pack, a new life. And South America is to a degree more familiar to me than this place. Considering I’ve spent more than half my Life there. But somehow, this is home. No matter how damaged it is. And severing my roots hasn't worked, and trying to do so never felt good.

When Derek told me what happened, I did not expect the sense of hope I'd feel. I realized I had forced myself to not think about Beacon Hills and the pack I lost, because it hurts. It still does.

But thinking about you and Peter, Erica and Boyd...I…”

She stopped and Stiles could see her composure fail her a little, but she caught herself with a deep breath and looked Stiles right into the eyes.

“Whenever I thought of this place, with everything new I heard was happening, it always felt like it was inevitable for things to...end. One way or another. I didn’t see a future in this town.”

He was surprised by her open smile.

“That has changed. For the first time when I think of Beacon Hills I see the potential for something lasting.

So, if you will have me, I will not abandon you. I am here to stay.”

He had to say, he liked the sound of that. Cora was a very smart and capable person, if she got along with the others she’d make a good addition in his opinion.

With a small smile Stiles gave her an acknowledging nod.

“I appreciate your answer. I’d ask you to stay here until the others and I have discussed your request.”

Cora blinked in mild surprise but then actually bowed her head.

“Of course.”

  
  


~*~

  
  


Peter had not tried to find out what the weird glances had been about, not until he knew why Cora wanted to talk to Stiles.

He had a clear suspicion of course, but it was important to be prepared to be wrong.

So instead the two other betas and Peter himself had ended up debating about overused tv tropes. 

It was an easy going, relaxed conversation.

Then Stiles had come back and after he had protected the living room from eavesdroppers and had told his pack what he and Cora had talked about there was silence.

Peter was waiting for somebody else to go first and Boyd and Erica had been exchanging some more meaningful eye contact while Stiles had been talking.

He was for accepting his niece into the pack, he was in fact elated he had been right about Cora wanting to join them in the first place.

But he was aware he was biased because he loved his niece.

And it was only fair to Boyd and Erica to give them the chance of freely speaking their minds.

Eventually Boyd cleared his throat.

His voice sounded a little rough when he spoke.

“So she won’t leave us again?”

Peter did feel like he was missing some important detail and judging by Stiles’ face the alpha actually had just found out what detail it was.

“The bank vault.” Stiles said and oh yeah!

Of course.

Erica nodded and intertwined her fingers with Boyd’s.

“Do you believe her, Stiles? That she won’t leave again?”

Stiles gave her a sober nod as well.

“I think she intends to stay.”

A last time the two betas exchanged glances.

“Then, I vote yes” Erica said and Boyd swallowed.

“Yeah...me too.”

Stiles smiled at them and then turned to Peter.

“You’ve been very quiet.”

Peter rolled his eyes.

“You already know I am saying ‘yes’ as well.”

“Alright then, it is decided.”

Stiles clapped his hands together and lifted the silencing spell on the living room.

“You can come in, Cora.”

  
  


~*~

  
  


Cora had not expected getting so emotional, when she saw Erica and Boyd, holding hands, giving her wary smiles.

Suddenly she remembered the feeling of fear and pain when Boyd had almost died in Derek’s loft.

She remembered how much she had hated being so vulnerable, how terrible it felt to care about people.

She had thought Erica and Boyd would both eventually die in this hellhole and if she let herself get attached she’d eventually die with them.

And remembering that feeling almost made her turn on her heels and leave.

This was her last chance not to get attached again.

But she had said she wouldn’t leave and she meant it, if they accepted her.

Stiles and Peter smiled too and Stiles cleared his throat.

“Welcome to the pack, Cora.”

He held out his hand and presented her with a pendant that had the same symbol as the tattoo on her uncle’s neck.

She took it wordlessly and stared at it.

Her family’s pack symbol within a triquetra.

She couldn’t shake the thought, that it looked like Stiles’ symbol protected her family’s.

It felt surreal to see it revived like that.

Stiles continued to speak.

“As a pack we expect trust and honesty from each other. And in return trust and honesty is what you will get from us. Beyond that there are four simple rules.”

He gave Boyd a smile and the beta smiled before picking up the thread.

“Rule One: We do not attack first. But if we have to defend ourselves, mercy is not expected of us. There is no need to spare someone who threatens your life.”

Erica spoke next.

“Rule Two: Information about our pack is on a strict need-to-know basis. No one answers questions about pack business unless the Alpha says so and anybody who wants to get any answers should be directed to the Alpha.”

Peter stepped forward a little, as he continued.

“Rule Three: We are all involved in the decision making and encouraged to question and debate decisions our alpha makes, but never in front of people who aren’t pack. Towards the outside we present in unity.”

Peter looked at Cora, then the betas and finally Stiles.

His eyes were full of adoration and devotion in a way Cora hadn’t seen before.

His next words were spoken with something akin to reverence.

“And ultimately, the Alpha always has the final say.”

She had known her uncle liked Stiles, but she just started to understand how deep those feelings had to be.

Stiles on his part gave Peter a soft smile before turning his eyes back towards her and adding the last rule.

“And Rule Four: No heroic sacrifices. We aren’t a pack of heroes, we are a pack of survivors. I am not asking you to just protect your bare life. I expect you to take care of yourself and put yourself first.”

She definitely appreciated that last rule. And he was right, all of them here, all the members in this pack, they were survivors.

And sometimes to survive you couldn’t be the hero.

“Do you accept these rules?” Stiles asked.

Cora took a deep breath, gave them a short smile and then placed the pendant around her neck.

“Yes.”

She didn’t know what she had expected to happen after accepting.

But she had not expected for Erica to launch herself at her and hug her tight, scenting her by rubbing their cheeks together.

“I’ve missed you.”

Cora felt her heart break a little and an entirely unexpected wave of feelings overwhelmed her. She blinked several times, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“I...I’m sorry I ever left.”

She looked over at Boyd “I’m so sorry.”

He looked like he was fighting some tears of his own and when Cora reached out her arm towards him he joined their hug.

“I’m sorry” she said again and Erica playfully punched her.

“Shut up.”

Once they had hugged it out - at least temporarily - Cora saw Stiles and Peter smiling at them.

It was strange, she had just hugged two people and she and Peter used to snuggle all the time, but she felt insecure about it now, unsure if physical affection was still welcome, if their pasts had changed both of them too much.

But she did feel the new pack bond starting to form and she didn’t sense any resentment on his side.

Then Stiles nudged Peter playfully and her uncle took a deep breath before reaching out to embrace her, slowly enough for her to pull away.

It made her realize that he was probably as insecure about it as she herself.

So she closed the gap and tugged him tight, while she had the bravery to do so.

“Uncle Peter…” she sighed as his arms wrapped around her, warm and strong and familiar.

“Yes, pup?”

“Thank you.”

She could feel her own voice waver a little, but she was making peace with the fact that this was a moment of emotional vulnerability.

She could go back to being a hard boiled egg afterwards.

Peter gave her a gentle peck to the temple.

“No need to thank me, I am very happy to have you.”

She smiled and let go of him, turning to Stiles in a slightly awkward natural conclusion.

The awkwardness bled away though when she actually looked at him.

He had had the air of an alpha before, she had been glad Peter had bullied her into making herself more presentable, when she had been faced with how much Stiles really was an actual alpha.

She had realized she hadn’t really believed it until he had been standing in front of her. 

And then, when they had talked in the kitchen, he had been guarded. There had been a deliberate distance between them.

Now though, he was smiling at her and stepped closer.

It just felt right, baring her throat to him.

He tilted his head down and scented her.

It was like warmth spreading through her, like coming home to a place she thought she had lost forever.

The bittersweet memory of her mother scenting her as a little child suddenly hit her.

An actual lupine whine escaped her throat and with a tender chuckle she was hugged by her new alpha.

And she knew.

She just knew.

This was the pack she’d stay with.

  
  


After a few moments Stiles moved his arms, gesturing towards the others and saying “All right, bring it in, bring it in! Puppy pile and then we’ll watch a movie.”

Cora was almost crushed as the other three joined the hug and they soon tumbled onto the carpet.

Erica giggled.

“Petition to watch the Earthsea series to see Stiles suffer in agony.”

Stiles snorted.

“Petition to duct tape Erica’s mouth shut so she can’t make any more cursed suggestions.”

Cora had to grin hearing them bicker.

It was good to know some things never changed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it :)  
> If you did, leave a comment on your way out, I appreciate them a lot <3
> 
> Stay safe and wear your masks <3


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